Hishammuddin, Tengku Adnan, question Tun M's reasoning behind amending Constitution

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor are questioning former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on his reason behind amending the Federal Constitution to curtail the role of the royalty.
Hishammuddin said: "Back then, what he (Mahathir) briefed us was that he did not want other institutions to undermine a government's efforts to develop the country and its people. But now, with the apology, it makes us wonder if the intention was sincere."
Tengku Adnan, on the other hand, felt that Dr Mahathir is back-tracking on policies that he himself implemented during his tenure and is now changing his position according to what suits him best in the given situation.
"I don't understand Tun Dr Mahathir, it was he who did that (reducing rulers' powers) before and he asked us (Umno members) to support it.
"Now when the situation does not favour him, he said he was wrong. He promised freedom on the internet too, and when that became problematic he said he was mistaken as well.
"I don't understand him. Let's leave him in his own world," Tengku Adnan said after flagging off the 2016 Kembara Jalur Gemilang convoy at Perkarangan Istana Kehakiman, Presint 3, here today.
The important thing, he said, is that the government continues to provide a comfortable quality of life for the people and solve their grievances if there are any.
Tengku Adnan, who is Federal Territories Minister, said Dr Mahathir is doing everything he can to bring down the government and it is unbecoming of him to do so as a former prime minister and former Umno president.
Dr Mahathir, Malaysia's longest serving prime minister, had recently apologised on his blog for amendments made to the Federal Constitution which allow laws to be passed without the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong's assent in 1994.
However, he said, the amendment to Article 66(4A) of the Constitution also stated that laws concerning certain subjects such as declaring a state of emergency must receive the Agong's assent as that is his power.
The National Security Council (NSC) Act was passed in both the lower and upper houses of Parliament despite many objections raised by Opposition politicians, civil rights activists, and lawyers.
Critics say the law, which gives the NSC, chaired by the Prime Minister, power to declare security zones where martial law apply, effectively usurped the Agong's power to declare a state of emergency.
The Conference of Rulers asked for changes to be made to the NSC Bill on Feb 17 but the law was given automatic assent on Feb 18 after 60 days had passed as per the constitutional amendments.
The contentious NSC Act was then gazetted as law in June and officially came into force on Aug 1.
When reporters asked Hishammuddin at a press conference after officiating the Gombak Umno assembly held at Seri Iskandar Hall in Setiawangsa here whether the cabinet would decide to give the powers back to the Agong, he said the matter should be studied before it can be tabled in the Parliament.
"We cannot move the goalpost just like that. We have to carry this responsibility made by our predecessors and it is not easy to make the changes. We have to do a lot of studies," he said.